Local residents share in recent lottery windfall

April 27, 2017 · 0 Comments

Some residents of Caledon are among 12 people sharing in a nice little windfall from the Nov. 19 Ontario 49 draw.
The prize was for $50,010.
The group members are Jamie De Gryp of Caledon East; Anna-Maria Laudari of Brampton; Antonio (Tony) Ciampi of Tottenham; Charles (Charlie) Schembri of Bolton; Edith Assels of Kleinburg; Eileen Colquhoun of Bolton; Irene Sabharwal of Brampton; Kimberly Phillippo of Orangeville; Lesley Dunbar of Bolton; Michael Baldesarra of Bolton; Norma Basdeo of Bolton; and Vicky Franchi of Bolton.
“We are colleagues and we have been playing the lottery together for seven years,” shared the group while at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto where they picked up their winnings. “We have been playing the same numbers and finally, we won with that combination.”
De Gryp collects the money each week while Schembri purchases and checks the tickets on behalf of the group.
“I usually go to the same location every Thursday to get our group tickets,” he said. “I was at the store when I decided to use the ticket checker to see if we had a winner. The words, ‘Big Winner’ flashed on the screen. I was shocked and I held the ticket tightly. I went straight home to check the tickets again. I kept restarting and refreshing my computer just to be sure.”
He began reaching out to group members.
“At first I thought he wanted me to pay up for the next draw,” Ciampi said. “When Charlie told me we won, I asked him to send me a picture of the ticket so I could verify the numbers.”
Meanwhile, De Gryp figured Schembri was calling about the lottery.
“I don’t usually get a call from Charlie. When he told me we won I said, ‘It’s about time!’”
One by one, each group member found out about the win. Plans are underway for each member’s windfall including home renovations, new appliances and travel. One group member has special plans for her daughter.
“The day before I found out we won, I was shopping for a wedding dress with my daughter,” she remarked. “I was stressed because I didn’t know how I was going to afford this dress. It was definitely a relief when I found out we won!”
The group says this win has brought them closer together. “We plan to celebrate our win with a nice dinner,” concluded the group.
Ontario 49 is $1 per play and the draws take place every Wednesday and Saturday. Tickets are sold until 10:30 p.m. For more information, visit the Lotteries section on olg.ca
The winning ticket was purchased at Petro Canada on Queen Street in Bolton.